DOCUMENT RESUME ED 286 160 CS 008 929 AUTHOR Jackson, Mary, Ed. TITLE Your Library--Greatest Show of All! Activity Manual. INSTITUTION Nebraska Library Commission, Lincoln. PUB DATE 87 NOTE 272p.; Several pages may be marginally legible. For the Planning Manual, see CS 008 677. PUB TYPE Guides General (050) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC11 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Childhood Interests; Childrens Art; Childrens Games; Childrens Literature; Elementary Education; Games; *Library Services; Picture Books; Play; Program Development; *Public Libraries; Puppetry; Reading Aloud to Others; Reading Materials; *Recreational Reading; Story Telling; *Summer Programs IDENTIFIERS *Circuses; Library Public Services; Summer Vacations ABSTRACT Intended as a companion volume for librarians planning a children's summer reading program, this activity manual provides ides for games, puzzles, puppet shows, story reading, and more, all based on the theme of "Circus Summer." The manual suggests ways to promote the program, such as visits to schools, and provides directions for registering children. A "Storytime" section gives suggestions for particular books to read aloud, and includes circus-related cutouts to dramatize the books. The program section gives suggestions for circus-related activities such as sing-alongs, followed by a display section that shows ways to decorate the library to give it a circus atmosphere. Sections on games and puzzles, crafts, prizes, and clowns are followed by a section with activities for older children, and a section suggesting ways in which teenaged volunteers can help with the younger children. Lists of resources for librarians are included. (JC) ***********************************************************w*********** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** . a le U S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION a Office of Educational Research and Improvement to EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) XThis document has been reprOduced as received from the person or organization originating it Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality Points of view or opinions stated in this docu- ment do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy I I "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY Mary Jackson TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)" AUFIVITY MA )AL AVAILABLE BESTCOPY 2 TABLE uF CONTENTS IN1RODUTION I. Publicity and Promotion II. Story Time 9 III. Programs 65 IV. Displays 73 . Games and Puzzles 99 VI. Crafts and Creative Expression 121 VII. Prizes, Favors and Reading Incentives 139 VIII. Clowns! Clowns! Clowns! 157 IX. Older Age Involvement 18t X. Culminating Activities 199 XI. Resources 203 XII. Clip Art 217 3 INTRODUCTION By the time you receive this Activity Manual and the support materials your on planning, aided by the Planning Manual, should be well underway. Also, you may have attended one of the "Make n' Take" workshops offered by your System, in which case you will have begun to accumulate the specific physical objects that add appeal and diversity to your program. With the arrival of this manual you are ready to integrate the overall plan, direction and schedule, (from the Planning Manual) the "stuff" (Make n'Take programs) and the ideas that will hold everything together. You can also use this manual to: 1) fill in gaps, 2) stimulate your own ideas, 3) generate ideas in later years since many of the ideas (as with all of the best ideas) are generic and readily transformed to fit future themes. To derive maximum use, consider the two manuals (Planning and Activity) as companion pieces. What can't be found in one can probably be found in the other. A sad exception is the omission of music lists which should have appeared in the Planning Manual. Their absence wasn't discovered until it was too late to put them in here. If anyone v:ishes to do music programming, please call or write to receive the combined list. The presence of some fici sections in the manual, and the broadening of another are a response to your concerns and requests. "Creative Expressions" is paired with "Crafts" and reflects the validity of writing, speaking and creative dramatics as part of your library program, either as book extender, supplementary or independent activity. "Culminating Activities" offers you a range of choices for that final climactic activity that will make Circus Summer memorable as children grow up. "Older-Age Involvement" is included not only to encourage focus on older children who, despite positive library experiences, grow up and away from the library, but to enable you to simply and easily offer programs and create displays with special appeal for this age group. All of the ideas offered in this section are usable in the winter as well as the summer. In fact, 4-6 graders are more likely to be at loose ends during the winter months, as are young adults who are not heavily involved in extra-curricular activities. Since clowns are so popular, all clown-related materials are grouped together in a special chapter. If you get drowned in clowns, remember, any of this material can be adapted to other characters and motifs. Flexibility is the first step toward being creative. A great strength of this theme is its versatility: possibilities for exploring it range from very physical to highly contemplative, from serious to comic; if you can't find many books about the circus, you can concentrate on the animals in other settings. Experiencing them in other settings invites comparison with their lives as circus performers, thus drawing in the circus and encouraging higher-level thinking. Such opportunities for serious thought combined with playfulness and much activity exist in all aspects of the theme. 4 Many of you who contributed to the manual made remarkable use of this thematic versatility. Activities and materials range from original stories with props to 'real' work experiences for older children. Activities are innovative, clever, clearly described and should be a pleasure to implement. One long-time cotributer whose ideas are particularly original and charming this year is Connie Jelkin, from Holdrege. Connie has resigned as Holdrege children's librarian to be a full-time mother to her own children. Good-bye Connie, am? good luck.Your children are lucky but your creativity and originality - and YOU - will be much missed by the rest of us. Other contributors who fortunately plan to stay around awhile (I couldn't bear another loss) also deserve great tribute. Somehow, maybe because circuses are magic for all ages, you'll feel a silent thank-you waft toward you whenever someone somewhere in Nebraska uses one of your ideas. Thank you all. Mary Jackson Betty Albus, Bancroft Public Library Anne Baden, Hebron Public Library Carolyn Baker, Beatrice Public Library Honey Lou Bonar, Hastings Public Library Deb Carlson, Scottsbluff Public Library Joan Chesley, North Bend Public Library Deb Tuma-Church, Crete Public Library Nancy Evats, Nebraska Library Commission Gail Froeschl, Falls City Public Library Kay Fye, Nebraska Library Commission Chlorene Hardy, Nebraska Library Commission Boni Hathaway, Curtis Public Library Connie Jelkin, Holdrege Public Library Doreen Kuhlmann, Nebraska Library Commission Elaine Lake, Oshkosh Public Library Bernice Mason, York Public Library Glee Nelson, Columbus Public LIbrary Barb Plank, Gothenburg Public Library Toni Reese, LaVista Public Library .Judith Ross, Bancroft Public Library Jeanne Saathoff, Grand Island Public Library Carolyn Simmons, Gothenburg Public Library Sally Snyder, Nebraska Library Commission Jan Truas, Bellevue Public Library Susan Walker, Papillion Public Library Bev Wittig, Nebraska Library Commission 5 PUBLICITY AND PROMOTION SANDWICH BOARDS Objective: To promote SRP Materials: Cardboard or posterboard, paint, markers Description of Activity: No circus is Complete without sandwich boards for advertising! Make the boards in different colors and circus shapes -- tents, elephants, clowns, magician hats -- and let the schools help you advertise.Media specialists, principals, or classroom teachers could assist by choosing kids to wear the boards during recess and lunch periods the last week or two of school, or the principal and media specialist might wear boards themselves. An easy way to make sandwich boards is with poster board. Draw the shape, add the message on two 22" x 24" pieces.Laminate them then attach at the shoulders with fat puffy yarn or very soft rope. Punch holes to pas the yarn etc. through. Reinforce the holes with strapping tape. Provide the sandwich board wearers with some kind of pad or cushion so the rope doesn't cut into their shoulders. -Jeanne Saathoff Grand Island Public Library PUBLICITY AND PROMOTION SCHOOL PROMOTION Objective: To promote the summer reading program Materials: Costumes Description of Activity: Dress up as a circus character or animal when you go to schools to promote the summer reading program. You could be the ringmaster, a dancing bear, a clown, etc. Children will remember your theme and be much more excited if they see your enthusiasm! This would also be a wonderful idea for the first day (registration) of the program. Staff at the library could dress as various circus characters to get the children enthused aboul your program. (The Scottsbluff Public Library staff dressed as "pig characters" during GO HOG WILD and the community loved it!) lost: Costume materials -